Soft-15Khz and CRT_Emudriver use the EXACT same method to install 15Khz modelines in the system, so they're much the same thing. As a matter of fact, I used Sailorsat's excellent documentation on ATI drivers as a reference. This method works by adding the required data to the video driver's registry, so no software needs to be loaded once the modelines are installed.

The main difference is that Soft-15Khz adds the modelines after driver installation (thus, it works for most driver versions), while CRT_Emudriver already includes the modelines in the driver's inf file so they get installed right at the moment the driver is installed.

I didn't create the CRT_Emudriver as a replacement for Soft-15Khz. It started as a replacement for the ArcadeVGA I drivers, to add support for Irem games modelines. At that point neither Soft-15Khz nor Winmodelines had support for the ArcadeVGA. I added a modeline generator that let the user customize the modeline list that would get installed with the driver. The idea was to provide an easy to use method to help ArcadeVGA users customize their setup by just installing new drivers. The modeline generator was a MAME ini generator at the same time because I was unhappy with AVRes and MAME Res Tool. Then of course it became obvious that it was possible to extend this functionallity to other ATI chipsets by using a generic Catalyst driver as the base.

Later the basic original modeline generator grew by adding new options, including the possibility to update the modelines after driver installation, and I renamed it as VMMaker. Unfortunately as new functionallities were added it became more and more complicated to use. But this is the price you have to pay I'm afraid.

In paralell to this, I struggled to override some annoying limitations to the ATI drivers, as increasing the total number of different modelines the drivers can support. Of course, to benefit from this you need to use the specific hacked drivers (CRT_Emudriver).

Some facts:

- If you install CRT_Emudriver, you don't really need Soft-15Khz as you already have 15 Khz modes available right after driver installation.

- Soft-15Khz and VMMaker are modeline INSTALLERS

- VMMaker is a modeline INSTALLER + GENERATOR, and it can create MAME inis too

- Soft-15Khz is MUCH EASIER and NICER to use than VMMaker, but you if you want new modelines you need to add them manually

- You can use VMMaker as a standalone modeline generator to create modelines for Soft-15Khz, including non-ATI cards.

- You can use Soft-15Khz with nearly ANY Catalyst version (probably newer ones than CRT_Emudriver), but will be limited to 60 total modelines

- You can use Soft-15Khz over CRT_Emudriver, to benefit from the extended features (120 total modelines) combined with Soft-15Khz usability

- Soft-15Khz is better for novice users

- VMMaker advantages can only be understood once you have suffered the limitations of the other methods.

- VMMaker creates a mode table that's perfect for GroovyMAME

- Soft-15Khz mode table can be used for GroovyMAME but it won't be that good, and 321x and 401x video modes will fool GroovyMAME (this should get fixed anyway)